halstead



[ALVENTOR 1a fiaiw A rrf wizy Putvnted Nov. 4, 1919.

A. S. HALSTEAD.

AUTOMOBILE HEADLIGHT.

" APPLICATION FILED NOV. 19. 1917 WITNESS:

ARNOLD S. HALSTEAD, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOB TO JOSEPH P. REILLY, 0? LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

. *AUTOIVIOBILE-HEADLiGI-IT.

I Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 4-, 1919.

Application filed November 19, 1917. Serial No. 203,038.

Angeles and State. of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in A1itomobilcl'leadlights, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in headlights such as are employed on all modern types of motor vehicles and the primary object thereof. is to provide an illuminating device capable of use on all types of vehicles where a source of electric current is available. and having means for eliminating the glare from the lamp in order that the rays of light therefrom may not impair the vision of the operators of vehicles approaching another vehicle equipped with my improved lights.

A further object is to provide a headlight of the character referred to in which the lamp, instead of being positioned in the line of vision, is supported at a point therebelow and fromwhich the rays of light are indirectly transferred to the roadway in advance of the vehicle.

A further object of this invention is to provide a hood for supporting the lamp and in which the usual form of reflector at the rear of the hood is omitted and tor which a vertical reflector for directing the rays of light upwardly from the lamp is substituted, the walls of the hood being preferably non-reflecting in character, andv an adjustable reflector being provided therein for directing the rays of light substantially at right angles to the primary rays from the lamp. I p

A further object is to provide adiagonal reflector within the lamp housing or hood in the vertical plane of the lamp and capable of adjustment for re-directing the rays of light upon the roadway at a desirable angle, so as to permit the ready adjustment of the headlight for throwing the light at varying distances in advance of the vehicle. Other objects may appear as the description progrosses. I

I am aware that other devices for a like purpose have been heretofore invented and patented, but I am not aware and do not believe that any one has heretofore used or employed the means shown in the disclosure of my improved device, and I desire to claim.

broadly thereon, except as the same may be limited in scope by the appended-claims.

Referring to the drawings, forming a part of this application and in which similar characters of reference indicate the same and like parts in the several views, Figure l v is a front elevation of my improved head; light, partly broken away to show the in.-

terior thereof. Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of v the same broken away at the bottom... 3 is a sectional plan of the same. Fig. at is a sectional elevation of the lamp housing showing the interior mechanism, and Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a modified form of reflector and mounting therefor. In allof the said views of the drawing, a single and preferable embodiment of my invention is disclosed, but it is obvious that I may modify the form substantially without en,- larging the scope or departing from the spirit of my invention. 1

My headlight and the reflecting mechanism therefor is inclosed in a cylindrical housing or hood 10 having a slightly enlarged front end 11 with an opening therein and a semi-spherical rear end 12, formed preferably of a single piece of sheet metal of suitable strength and thickness and of ample size to accommodate the elements of my lighting device and provide acompact headlight ofmoderate proportions.

The front end 11 of the housing carries a stationary ring 13 and a removable ring 1 14 between which a transparent element ,hicle headlights.

A ring 16 is provlded on the lower sur face of the housing 10 and is adapted to be 5 soldered or otherwise secured thereto, and a depending sleeve 17 thereon is adapted to receive a relatively small lamp housing, proper, as at 1.8, which may be removably held in the sleeve by means of one or' more retaining screws 19 insertible in suitable slots in the sleeveor housin g, as desired, and permanently held in the other of these ele ments.

form of a hyperbola is provided iii and is attached to the interior of the lamp housing primary reflector 20, preferably tlie w 18 by means of a ring 21 soldered or riveted to the bottom of the housing and the upper flared end of the reflector rests upon and completely covers the upper end of the housing. A lamp socket 22 is removably held in the lower end of the housing 18 by means of a sleeve 23 and the lamp 24 carried by this socket is held in a central portion relative to the reflector and in the plane approximately midway of the ends of the main housing 10.

A secondary reflector 25 formed of sheet metal, as shown in Fig. 4, or of mirrored glass 26 as shown in Fig. 5, is pivotally mounted at opposite sides on the ends 27 of a curved strap or hanger 28 secured to the upper curved surface of the housing 10 by means the reflector and into the ends of the bar 32.

of rivets or otherwise. The formof reflector shown in Fig. 4 is preferably curved and has sides 29 by means of which the same maybe pivoted to the hanger 28, and

the mirrored form of reflector, as at 26 in Fig. 5, may have a suitable sheet metal mounting 30 with edges overlapping the edges of the glass and lugs 31 at each side for attachment to the hanger 28.

The reflectors 25, or 26, as the case may be, are mounted with their axes disposed in the vertical plane of the lamp 24 and have a normal inclination of about 45 degrees from the horizontal. An operating member is provided for adjusting the inclination'of the reflectors 25 and 26 in both directions from their normal planes and consists of a U shaped bar 32 with the ends 33 thereof pivotally held on the pivot screws 34 which su port the reflector and a handle 35 suitabl y attached to the central portion of the bar and extend through the rear wall 12 of the main housing. The handle 35 is bent at right angles, as at 36, at a point exterior of the housing and may be crimped or serrated to correspond to the crimps or serrations 37 in a plate 38 attached to the rear of the housing, so that the handle will frictionally engage the plate at all times and may be moved thereover by slightly springing the handle. It will be obvious that the handle will remain at any'point on the plate to which it ma be moved by means of the engagement 'o the teeth or serrations thereon with the corresponding serrations or teeth.

on the plate. The adjustment of the handle moves the reflector to a corresponding degree by means of a screw or rivet 39 extending through the opposite sides or lugs of The rays of light from the lamp 24, in the operation of my improved headlight, are directed in substantially vertical planes, as indicated in Fig. 4, against the reflector 25,

' and therefrom in slightly inclined planes against the ground. The reflector 25 should be of such an area that when the reflector is moved 1n one or the other: direction from.

normal position all of the rays of light from the primary reflector which surrounds the lamp 24 may be received thereby and dechanged, the vertical planes cutting the pe: riphery of the primary reflector at dia-' metrically opposite points will'cut the secondary reflector at points interior of the front and rear edges, thus afiordin full efiiciency regardless of the angle 0 the secondary reflector.

It will be understood that the adjustment of the reflector renders it possible to adjust the headlights of a vehicle to conform positively to the varying requirements of city ordinances and State laws, which are not always the same, and the angle at which the reflector is held in the housing determines the distance at which the rays of light from the lamp are focused upon the ground in advance of the vehicle. A forward tilt ing of the reflector will raise the range of the headlights and provide a greater range therefor, such as may be necessary when about to negotiate a hill, and a rearward tilting of the reflector will effect a decrease in the-range. The lamp 24, as shown is invisible to oncoming vehicle operators and passengers and as only the reflected rays therefrom are directed upon the road, the glare, which is dangerous and blinding, is entirely eliminated without in any way detract'rng from the quality of the light. Thus a practical and efficient headlight is provided at a nominal expense and which is easily accessible from both the front and bottom for repairs or cleaning.

, What I claim is:

1. A headlight of the character described including a casing having a lamp therein, said housing having a glass in the front thereof and said lamp being held below said glass for cutting off the direct rays of light from said lamp, a yoke pivotally attached to said casing above said lamp, a concave reflector fixed to said yoke, and an arm attached to said yoke and extended outwardly from said casing whereby said reflector may be adjusted for directing the reflected rays of light at selected angles relative to the axis of said casing.

2. A headlight having a casing provided with a glass front and a lamp receptacle positioned below said glass, a reflector below said lamp for directing the rays of light upwardly therefrom, a reflector positioned at an angle above said lamp, a support for said reflector attached to opposite sides of said casing, a yoke attached to the sides of ing the inclination of said reflector, and means on said handle and said casing for holding said reflector in adjusted positions.

A headlight having a cylindrical casing, a transparent element removably held in the front end thereof, an auxiliary casing on the bottom of said main casing and hav ing a lamp socket therein, a lamp held in said socket, a parabolic reflector held in said I 7 auxiliary casing and surrounding said lamp fiherehy the rays from said lamp may be directed upwardly an arcuate reflector positioned above said lamp in said main casing, and pivotally supported on the walls thereof for adjustment about an axis sub stantially in the center of said main casing a U-shaped lever attachedto the sides-of said reflector and having a handle extend ing through the rear end of said casing and coacting means on the exterior-0f said casing and on said handle for holding said reflector at selected positions.

ARNOLD S. HALSTEAD. 

